The present invention relates generally to a system and method for connecting a source of preconditioned air to a receiver for the preconditioned air, typically an aircraft. More particularly, the present invention relates to a self-aligning system and method for connecting a hose leading from the source of preconditioned air to an aircraft to reduce the potential for placing undue stress on the connection to the aircraft, the hose leading to the aircraft, or the individual creating the connection to the aircraft.
Referring to FIG. 1, when an aircraft 10 is at rest on the ground 12, the aircraft 10 is often connected to a source of preconditioned air 14. That is, rather than tax the onboard heating or air-conditioning systems of the aircraft 10, a connection is made to a ground source 14 that provides heated or air-conditioned air to the aircraft 10. To facilitate such a connection, a hose 16 is extended from the preconditioned-air ground source 14 to a standardized hatch door 18 located, generally, on the underside of the aircraft 10. To create a secure connection between the hose 16 and the aircraft 10, a standard air chute 20 is typically used that mates and locks with the area about the hatch door 18 through a clamping or similar fixed connection system.
While the hose 16 connecting the preconditioned-air ground source 14 and the aircraft 10 is generally designed to be at least somewhat flexible, the hose 16 may not be able to be arranged in a desired position. As a result, the hose 16 may be unduly stressed during and/or after the connection process. The hose 16 and air chute 20 are joined through a fixed or rigid connection and the hose is often required to twist and turn to arrange the air chute 20 in the proper position to mate with the area around the hatch door 18 of the aircraft 10. In this regard, the hose 16 may not be able to be positioned as desired and can become kinked and stressed. In some instances, the hose 16 must make multiple turns at various elevations leading from the ground 12 to the underside of the aircraft 10. To further compound matters, the hose 16 leading from the preconditioned-air ground source 14 is typically of a larger diameter, for example, 14 inches, than the hatch door opening 18, for example, 8 inches. In this case, a tapered section 22 may be included that extends between the two differing diameters. However, these tapered sections 22 create additional connection points that must be accommodated when making connections between the hose 16 and aircraft 10.
Due to the combination of these fixed elements and the requirements of making connections to an aircraft, airflow from the ground source 14 to the aircraft 10 can be degraded and an insufficient supply of air delivered to the aircraft 10. As such, operators are frequently required to spend a significant amount of time and effort making connections and ensuring that kinks are avoided. In some cases, an operator must revisit poor connections. Even with the best efforts of operators, over time, these stresses and kinks can degrade the lifespan of the equipment used to provide preconditioned air to an aircraft 10.
Some systems have been developed that attempt to alleviate these problems by providing a fixed elbow and/or rotary mechanism that allows the fixed elbow to face a desired direction. However, these systems often fail to meet regulatory standards and/or employ proprietary parts and connecting mechanisms. Therefore, to utilize these systems, standardized air chutes must be abandoned in favor of the proprietary elbow/rotary system. Furthermore, such systems often fail to rotate freely when subjected to the significant load presented by connecting the hose, elbow, and rotation mechanism to the aircraft. That is, when not under load (i.e., disconnected from the aircraft), the elbow can be rotated about the rotation mechanism to face in a desired direction. However, once loaded through a connection to an aircraft, the stress placed on the fixed elbow and rotation mechanism causes the elbow to be fixed in one direction unless an operator intervenes to reduce the stress presented by the load and manually rotate the elbow. Accordingly, in many cases, without significant operator intervention, such fixed elbow/rotational systems can present more stress on the hose and various connection points than traditional connection systems.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a system and method for allowing a hose leading from the source of preconditioned air to an aircraft to self align.